2: 2
The place was packed and roaring.
Every table was crowded with plates.
Pamela Perry, the store manager, sat at the register.
I held up the screenshots. "Since when do we run a free-food giveaway? How is it I've never heard of this?"
"Oh, Frieda, you mean that promotion."
Pamela smiled and stood.
"That's Melissa and Gretchen's thing. Those two young ones, they're full of ideas. Traffic's been way up this past month."
She waved a hand behind her. "Look, Frieda. It's past the lunch rush and we're still slammed."
Watching her preen, I let out a bitter laugh. "And the profits?"
"We lost close to a hundred grand last month. You didn't know?"
Her face froze.
But she recovered fast. "Frieda, the books didn't look great last month, sure."
"But you can't just look at one month's numbers, can you? Isn't that a little shortsighted?"
"Melissa says you draw the customers in first, build the name, and after that the money takes care of itself."
I choked back my temper.
Build the name?
Build Melissa and Gretchen's name, more like.
I was done wasting words on her.
"I'll settle your pay for this month in a bit. Don't bother coming in tomorrow."
Pamela froze at that.
Then her voice shot up. "You're firing me? On what grounds? I've worked here four years, and you're throwing me out over this little thing?"
Her shout made every customer in the room turn at once.
Chopsticks hung in midair, hands stopped halfway to the meat, and all you could hear was the broth burbling in the pots.
Melissa and Gretchen came bolting out from the back.
Melissa spotted me, twisted her mouth, and got in first. "Frieda, Pamela's a single mom. You fire her, how's she supposed to feed her kid?"
"Her kid is nothing to do with me."
I said it flat and cold.
Then I pointed at the two of them. "You two don't come in tomorrow either."
"You run a giveaway that big and don't tell me. This place is too small a temple to keep two big idols like you fed."
Melissa's eyes went wide.
"You can't do that. You promised us two months, and summer break's already half over. Where are we supposed to find work now? You're setting us up to fail!"
Gretchen's eyes reddened, all pitiful. "Frieda, you're a big boss. How can you just go back on your word like it's nothing? You think students are easy to push around?"
Almost the second she finished, a man in a loud floral shirt at the next table slammed his chopsticks down with a crack.
"Ma'am, this is too much! Two young girls working hard, carrying plates, running your promotion, and look at how busy this place is. Fine if you're not grateful, but firing them just like that?"
A woman at another table chimed in. "Right. What year is it, and you're pulling this fat-cat routine? Two kids working their way through school, you know how hard that is? You bully people like this, word gets around, who's ever going to eat here again?"
"Melissa and Gretchen have a thousand times better attitude than you! All smiles, welcoming everyone. Not like you, sour-faced. Who's that for?"
The floral-shirt man got more worked up with every word, then turned to shout at the rest of the room. "A boss like this. You all coming back after this or not?"
With backup now, Melissa's spine straightened all at once. She lifted her chin at me. "Hear that, Frieda? The people can see clear as day. Our promotion pulled in a ton of customers. How can you only stare at that little bit of money?"
Gretchen sniffled and said, all injured, "Exactly."
Pamela wiped her face and stood.
"Frieda, I gave you four years. I built this hot pot place into what it is now, and now you're kicking me to the curb once the work's done. I won't stand for it!"
I looked at the three of them, each one more wronged than the last.
I looked at the customers, every one of them righteous with outrage.
And I laughed.
Be soft, and people walk all over you.
"Fine. In that case."
"None of the three of you gets paid this month."
Back then I'd promised the Fox sisters five grand a month each.
And as manager, Pamela made twelve grand a month.
Their pay was due in three days.
I'd meant to let it slide, given how hard up they were, and not dock this month's wages.
But now I'd changed my mind.
"And on top of that, I'm going to hold you liable for the financial losses your unauthorized promotion cost me."
